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LL Cool J Top 30

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I was having a conversation the other day about the recently released book You Made It A Hot Line and the passage on LL Cool J’s “Pink Cookies In A Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By Buildings” came up. Naturally it had us re-litigating LL’s place in hip hop and the jury was unanimous. If you have any knowledge of hip hop history…LL has always played a prominent role since 1985.

With over three decades in the game it had us thinking again..What was the hottest LL joints to ever grace our ears? The answer to that question is actually much more than you think. So I decided to take it upon myself and list my top 30 LL Cool J songs of all time. Chances are we will disagree on what was excluded. But I only have 30 slots to play with….so blame James Todd Smith for making this such an arduous task!

So without further adieu, here are Ladies Love Cool J’s top 30 songs of all time:

30. “Luv U Better”

29. “Dear Hip Hop” takes us back on a history lesson that way too many of us need.

28. “Ripper Strikes Back” by having some fun at the expense of Canibus.

27. A very young LL combining his brash and humorous sides perfectly in “Dear Yvette”

26. “I’m That Type of Guy”

25. “Loungin”

24. “Back Seat (of My Jeep)”

23. Mobb Deep and LL mesh well on representing their home town in “Queens Is”

22. One of those classic LL joints that stand the test of time. “Eat ’em Up, L Chill”

21. I Shot Yamakes most people think of the remix but the original stands on its own.

20. “Pink Cookies In A Plastic Bag Getting Crushed by Buildings”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m670Cx9savw

19. The “Year of The Hip Hop” didn’t make the final cut of 14 Shots to The Dome….somehow????

18. Marley Marl teaming up on another classic “I Be Gettin’ Busy”

17. This is one of those records that LL reminded those who forgot by dropping this Ill Bomb

16. Showing love to his DJ….“Go Cut Creator Go”

15. All of my 90’s hip hop heads who were tuned into underground radio remember this instant classic “No Airplay”

14. “Hey Lover”

13. “Big Ole Butt”

12. “I’m Going Back To Cali”

11. “Rock The Bells”

10. “Doin It”

9. “I’m Bad”

8. If you want a lesson on how to crush an emcee, just pick any verse in To Da Break of Dawn

7. Around The Way Girl”

6. Jingling Baby”

5. “The Boomin System”

4. I Need Love”

3. Mama Said Knock You Out”

2. I Can’t Live Without My Radio”

1. This is one the best diss tracks of all time and was the biggest blow in the LL vs Kool Moe Dee feud. If you don’t know what this is you should be ashamed of yourself. Take a listen to Jack The Ripper and educate yourself.

Music

Janita – Three Songs She’d Love to Have Written

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Janita’s newest album Here Be Dragons is another in a progression of finely crafted hymns for the empowered. Whether by love, as in the silky “I Do,” or by subverting expectations, in the Beatlesesque “Not What You’re Used To,” Janita draws on lessons learned during a positively unique career that spans decades and continents. We caught up with Janita on the heels of her latest single “When It’s All Up To You” to find out three songs she’d love to have written.

Elliott Smith — “L.A.” 

This is one of my favorite songs by Elliott Smith. I listened to the full album Figure 8 a lot while I was writing the songs on my new album, and it was a huge influence on me both melodically and lyrically. This song in particular has also informed some of the production choices we made later, like the heavier guitars you hear on my song “Not What You’re Used To.”

“L.A.” is incredibly melodic, but there’s an elusive, haunting quality to it. It feels like you’re always trying to reach it, catch up to it somehow. The backing vocals accentuate that feeling. In my mind, the song paints such a vivid picture of the ephemeral, fickle nature of L.A., and the similarly transient nature of the main character. Elliott Smith himself? I don’t know exactly how he does (did) it, but I’m certainly in awe of it.

Radiohead — “There There”

So hypnotic. So badass. Could the production possibly be any cooler? The melody is intricate and beautiful, and I can relate to the lyric from every which angle: as the singer, as the one being sung to, and whether in love relationships, friendships, or with total strangers. The subject matter simply comes up in life in so many ways all the time… I recently tried to express similar notions as I was writing a song, only to remember that it was already done here perfectly. Goddammit.

Punch Brothers — “Julep”

This song is simply magical to me. It’s made me bawl my eyes out at a Punch Brothers concert two separate times. It’s like that viral video that was circulating some years ago of a baby moved to tears when her mom sings a sad tune. I’m that baby when it comes to this song. It simply hits some sort of primal button in me and keeps pressing it until the very end.

While you’re at it, check out Janita’s video for “Digging in the Dirt,” a funky and faithful rendition of the Peter Gabriel classic.

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New Music – Bachelor

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Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner join forces as Bachelor – a musical powerhouse whose new record Doomin’ Sun drops May 28th on Polyvinyl.

Kemper and Duterter recorded the album during two weeks of mutual appreciation in California. Three visceral singles have been released in the lead-up, including the Pixies-flavored “Stay in the Car” and the sprawling “Anything At All.”

Bachelor has also announced the Doomin’ Sun Fest, a one-day livestream featuring Tegan & Sara, Courtney Barnett, Adrianne Lenker, Jeff Tweedy, Japanese Breakfast, Julien Baker, and more.

Doomin Sun Fest

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Self-Serving Interview with Electronic Device Does Little to Advance Musician’s Career

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Two men that look suspiciously alike meet outside a fictitious Brooklyn hot-spot – six feet apart.

MC Krispy E: Very nice to meet you. (squints) Have we met before?

Electronic Device: Maybe?

MC Krispy E: Is the rest of the band joining us?

Electronic Device: (pause) I am the rest of the band.

MC Krispy E: You are Electronic Device? What’s that about?

Electronic Device: Uhm, yeah, it’s like a pen name. You know what that is, right?

MC Krispy E: I have some idea.

Electronic Device: It was actually the name of one of my dad’s companies back in the day before…

MC Krispy E: (looking at his watch) Wonderful. So… it says here you have a new single called “All Things Come to an End” inspired by the death of your brother.

Electronic Device: Yeah, after my brother died I recorded songs as a form of therapy in his old bedroom in Staten Island.

MC Krispy E: And now I read that you have cancer. Am I supposed to feel extra sorry for you?

Electronic Device: Uhm…

MC Krispy E: It sounds like this album is going to be super depressing.

Electronic Device: It’s not, I swear. I was looking for some happiness while recording these songs, there’s not much of an agenda beyond that.

MC Krispy E: What kind of music is it?

Electronic Device: I wasn’t really thinking about influences while recording, but listening back I hear some Concrete Blonde, some Cracker.

MC Krispy: So bands no one is interested in?

Electronic Device: What the hell, man?

MC Krispy: Sorry, it’s almost like I can’t help it.  What’s the single about?

Electronic Device: I hate saying what a song is about because everything is up for interpretation.

MC Krispy E: Humor us.

Electronic Device: I can say that “All Things Come to an End” has multiple narrators, some of which are unreliable.

MC Krispy E: (stares)

Electronic Device: And that one day I was at my Dad’s house and when I turned the corner into the hallway my Dad thought I was my brother for a moment, which was super sad because of course I couldn’t be.

MC Krispy E: And then you wrote a whole song about that.

Electronic Device: I guess so. When you put it that way…

MC Krispy E: (yawning) Tell us when the single come out.

Electronic Device: The single is out now. The album comes out in 2021.

MC Krispy E: Well, good for you. And good luck with that cancer thing.

Electronic Device: Yeah, you too.

MC Krispy E: Thanks. What?

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